It comes from the Arab assfar, za'faran, zafaran or zahfaron, meaning "yellow", for the characteristic color it imparts. Saffron first appeared in ancient Babylon and China as early as 2600 BC and is native to Asia Minor, cultivated there for thousands of years, mentioned in many classical writings, including the Bible. Saffron is the Karcom of the Hebrews (Song of Solomon).
In medieval England, so much was grown in Essex that the town of Saffron Walden was actually named after the aromatic. In Greek mythology, Zeus, the king of the gods, had a bed of saffron. Greek myth attributes the plant's creation to Hermes, the messenger and inventor. Hermes accidentally killed Europa's infant son Crocus; blood flowed from his head and was scattered on the ground, where the god at once changed it into the little flowers with their precious pistils. Ancient Greeks used saffron as an aphrodisiac, to perfume a bath and as a remedy for sleeplessness. Cleopatra and the pharaohs used saffron for both sacred and sensual purposes.
With coriander and cumin, saffron is part of a triumvirate of Middle Eastern spices that nomadic Arabs took first to the African region that would become Morocco and then, later, to Spain and Iran, where most of the world's saffron is now produced. It can also be found in Egypt, Kashmir and Turkey. Saffron reached England in the Middle Ages; during the Renaissance, Venice was the commercial capital of its trade. Saffron was generally used medicinally to reduce fevers and calm nerves. It was also widely used for perfumes, dyes and to flavor food and beverages, but too much of it could have a narcotic effect. In 1649 in Nicholas Culpeper's The Complete Herbal, it says, "The use of it ought to be moderate and reasonable, for when the dose is too large, it produces a heaviness of the head and sleepiness. Some have fallen into an immoderate convulsive laughter, which ended in death."
In culinary terms, saffron is considered savory, but has been used in breads and sweets since medieval times. The West connects saffron to its significant role in paella, risotto and bouillabaisse. In India, it's used to flavor desserts and ice creams but also in religious rituals. True Arabian coffee is said to have saffron and cardamom. The saffron crocus is harvested in late October and early November, usually between dawn and 10 a.m., because it blooms at dawn and the stigmas must be removed promptly from the blooms or they will wither and lose color and fragrance. The stigmas, three filaments one-fifth the width of a matchstick, are removed by hand, allowed to dry and cure, then taken to market. The statistics are staggering: it takes 14,000 stigmas to produce 1 ounce (28 g) of saffron; 850,000 flowers for 2 pounds (1 kg); and 400,000 stigmas for 1 pound (500 g), which explains why saffron is the world's most expensive spice.
From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
